These next few months are shaping up to be pretty wild. Silent Hill f releases in September, Ghost of Yotei is coming in October, and as we recently found out, Hollow Knight: Silksong is just around the corner. As such, gamers may only have a short window to clear out (or continue filling up) their backlogs before a torrential downpour of big releases, and I'm here to assist with that.
Subscription services like PlayStation Plus have long been a boon and a bane for players such as myself, who love nothing more than jumping, sometimes frantically, between different games. But with hundreds of games to choose from across all tiers of PS Plus, it can be hard to know where to begin. For a nudge in the right direction, read on.
Don't forget to snag August's PS Plus Essential games before the month is over: Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero One's Justice 2 will be available until next week.
Everybody's Golf
Available on PS Plus Extra
I have to admit that I've never quite clicked with golfing—playing it, watching it, or playing a video game version of it. So when I recommend Everybody's Golf, it's not due to a personal passion or bias for the sport, but rather the raw fun factor of the game itself. Everybody's Golf takes the fundamentals of the ubiquitous club-and-ball game and simplifies them just enough to be approachable, but not too dumbed-down. And with an injection of silly, cute graphics, it manages to be uniquely charming and relaxing. It's an especially great multiplayer experience, so it may be a particularly good choice for multi-gamer households.
- How long to beat Everybody's Golf: 16–37 hours, but completionists can harvest around 80 hours of content.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 72%
- Released
- August 29, 2017
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Clap Hanz, JapanStudio
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Anybody can play golf with basically only three button clicks. Now you can experience golf with a variety of character customizations, fishing, and karting across the courses. You can develop your skills with the challenge mode and compete with other players globally through the online mode.
Online servers for Everybody's Golf have shut down on 30th September 2022. All online features have ceased on that date.
You are still able to play and enjoy the game in single player offline modes.
- Franchise
- Everybody's Golf
- Genre(s)
- Sports
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
The Evil Within 2
Available on PS Plus Extra
I have to believe that The Evil Within 2 was released just slightly too soon for its own good: launching in 2017, it came two years before Capcom kicked off its Resident Evil remake initiative, which helped reinvigorate the third-person survival horror space. As such, The Evil Within 2 was often overlooked during its time, but it's still more than worth delving into today. Produced by former Resident Evil luminary Shinji Mikami, it has all the hallmarks of a classic, formidable horror gaming experience, including tough, tense combat, thrilling set pieces, unnerving monster design, and an impeccably disturbing tone. It may not be perfect, but it's a must-play for fans of the genre.
- How long to beat The Evil Within 2: 13–20 hours.
The Evil Within 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 73%
- Released
- October 13, 2017
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
From mastermind Shinji Mikami, The Evil Within 2 is the latest evolution of survival horror. Detective Sebastian Castellanos has lost it all. But when given a chance to save his daughter, he must descend once more into the nightmarish world of STEM. Horrifying threats emerge from every corner as the world twists and warps around him. Will Sebastian face adversity head on with weapons and traps, or sneak through the shadows to survive.
The Forgotten City
Available on PS Plus Extra
Another oft-underrated game, The Forgotten City began its life as a humble Skyrim mod before growing into its own standalone experience—a testament to both its quality and the passion of its development team. It has almost no combat or other traditional gameplay systems, but it more than makes up for that with its bizarre time-travel story, which sees players untangling a web of supernatural intrigue in an Ancient Roman city. It's a gripping narrative, and the way that the player moves through it—with control and agency—makes it a tale that could truly only be told in a video game.
- How long to beat The Forgotten City: 6–10 hours.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
- Released
- July 28, 2021
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Modern Storyteller
- Publisher(s)
- Dear Villagers
WHERE TO PLAY
The Forgotten City is a mystery adventure game of exploration and deduction, and a re-imagining of the critically acclaimed mod that won a national Writers’ Guild award and racked up over 3 million downloads.
Combat is an option, but violence will only get you so far. Only by questioning an intertwined community of colourful characters, cleverly exploiting the time loop, and making difficult moral choices can you hope to solve this epic mystery. Here, your decisions matter. The fate of the city is in your hands.
Explore an open-world ancient Roman city with historically authentic art, architecture, costumes and customs
Investigate a gripping, non-linear mystery with multiple endings
Become entwined in the lives of richly detailed, deeply interactive characters
Grapple with moral dilemmas which have life-and-death consequences
Play as whoever you want, by choosing your character’s gender, origin and backstory
Solve problems with reason, charm, bribery, intimidation, violence, or by cleverly exploiting the time-loop
- Engine
- unreal engine 4, creation engine
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
Tetris Effect: Connected
Available on PS Plus Extra
I don't care what anyone says: Tetris Effect is the best version of Tetris. It keys into exactly what makes the classic game so special and elevates it with stunning presentation. Indeed, Tetris Effect's audiovisual landscape is unparalleled, and facilitates the flow state that so often accompanies intense games of Tetris. PS Plus features the Connected version of the game, which has all the strengths of the original, but with extra multiplayer modes, making it the perfect entry point for both Tetris newcomers and veterans.
- How long to beat Tetris Effect: 3–10 hours.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- November 10, 2020
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Monstars Inc, Resonair, Stage Games
- Publisher(s)
- Enhance
WHERE TO PLAY
Tetris Effect: Connected is Tetris like you've never seen it, or heard it, or felt it before—an incredibly addictive, unique, and breathtakingly gorgeous reinvention of one of the most popular puzzle games of all time, from the people who brought you the award-winning Rez Infinite and legendary puzzle game Lumines.
Music, backgrounds, sounds, special effects—everything, down to the Tetriminos themselves—pulse, dance, shimmer, and explode in perfect sync with how you're playing, making any of the game's 30+ stages and 10+ modes something you'll want to experience over and over again.
Plus cross-platform multiplayer modes for competitive and cooperative play!
An exhilarating single-player experience full of surprises.
Over 30 different stages, each with its own music, sound effects, graphical style and background that all evolve and change as you play through them.
Enter the Zone, a mechanic unique to Tetris Effect: Connected
Players can stop time (and Tetriminos falling) by entering “the Zone” and either get out of a sticky situation that could otherwise lead to “Game Over,” or rack up extra Line Clears for bonus rewards
- Engine
- unreal engine 5, unreal engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
- Franchise
- Tetris
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- PC Release Date
- August 18, 2021
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- PS5 Release Date
- February 22, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 8, 2021
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 3 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium